{"id":22006,"date":"2018-05-02T16:26:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T20:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=22006"},"modified":"2018-06-25T09:55:13","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T13:55:13","slug":"mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Student, mom, graduate: Balancing it all"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"467\" data-attachment-id=\"22007\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/slider-studentmomgrad\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,467\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"slider-studentmomgrad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-1024x373.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22007\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-300x109.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-768x280.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-1024x373.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-580x211.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-610x222.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-250x91.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/slider-studentmomgrad-600x219.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When Nicole Smith crossed the stage at commencement last Saturday there was an extra special person cheering her on: her daughter, Brenleigh.<\/p>\n<p>As a single mom Smith spent her days juggling classes, an internship and getting her daughter to soccer practice or dance classes, all with an hour commute to campus from her home in Etowah, Tenn.<\/p>\n<p>The marketing major&#8217;s daily schedule was grueling, but Smith says she made it through because of her support system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t had anybody in my support system doubt me. They\u2019ve always pushed me to do what I want to do and be successful in it. So they always help me and encourage me,\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"880\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:9,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:202990556}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 880px; height: 307px;\" data-original-width=\"880\" data-original-height=\"307\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 457px; height: 307px;\" data-original-width=\"457\" data-original-height=\"307\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/dsc_0602\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"453\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"303\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"22008\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,603\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1522713984&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;23&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0602\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-300x201.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602.jpg 900w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-768x515.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-580x389.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-610x409.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-250x168.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0602-597x400.jpg 597w\" width=\"453\" height=\"303\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"453\" data-original-height=\"303\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"DSC_0602\" alt=\"DSC_0602\" style=\"width: 453px; height: 303px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 423px; height: 307px;\" data-original-width=\"423\" data-original-height=\"307\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/dsc_0288\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"419\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"303\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"22009\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,651\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1523483656&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0288\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-300x217.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288.jpg 900w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-768x556.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-580x420.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-610x441.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-250x181.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0288-553x400.jpg 553w\" width=\"419\" height=\"303\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"419\" data-original-height=\"303\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"DSC_0288\" alt=\"DSC_0288\" style=\"width: 419px; height: 303px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A couple of weeks ago one of Smith\u2019s groups was in the campus library studying. Smith was already downtown with Brenleigh so she decided to just bring her along.<\/p>\n<p>Her four-year-old daughter\u2019s visits to campus are rare. But Smith says professors and fellow students are always understanding.<\/p>\n<p>Smith and Brenleigh were at the library late into the night, cramming in some last minute work for the semester. When Brenleigh got a little loud, Smith started worrying about how fellow students within earshot were taking it, she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe starts laughing and she can\u2019t stop,\u201d Smith whispers, with her daughter sitting beside her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t talk about that,\u201d Brenleigh interjects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo she just couldn\u2019t stop and was snorting and loud and I had my hand over her mouth,\u201d Smith says, mimicking how she reacted that night. She looks around, mouthing \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI walked to the garbage can to throw something away and this guy saw me and asked, \u2018Is that your kid?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was worried about what he would say next, she says. But, his kind words eased her nerves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has just made my night. She reminds me of my little sister with her laugh. She\u2019s just so cute,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"690\" data-attachment-id=\"22010\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/dsc_0194\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,690\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1523401669&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;38&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0194\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22010\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194.jpg 900w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-768x589.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-580x445.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-610x468.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-250x192.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-522x400.jpg 522w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194-262x200.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With the help of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/college-business\/profiles\/administration-staff\/sbg666.php\">Jaclyn Wooten-York<\/a>, career services advisor for the College of Business, Smith landed an internship with Chattanooga nonprofit, The Momentum Network. For the past year she has worked with Momentum as marketing and communications intern.<\/p>\n<p>Working with MOMentum, a support system full of resources for single moms in school, is giving her invaluable experience in the world of marketing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve learned a ton about my field. It\u2019s amazing how you learn a whole lot more when you\u2019re actually in the professional setting rather than sitting at a desk,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"880\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:9,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:202990556}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 880px; height: 446px;\" data-original-width=\"880\" data-original-height=\"446\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 280px; height: 446px;\" data-original-width=\"280\" data-original-height=\"446\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/_dsc0045\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"276\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"442\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"22015\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"799,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1522461682&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;27&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_DSC0045\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-187x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-639x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045.jpg 799w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-768x1231.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-639x1024.jpg 639w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-580x929.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-610x977.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-125x200.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0045-250x400.jpg 250w\" width=\"276\" height=\"442\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"276\" data-original-height=\"442\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"_DSC0045\" alt=\"_DSC0045\" style=\"width: 276px; height: 442px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 446px;\" data-original-width=\"600\" data-original-height=\"446\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/_dsc0381\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"596\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"442\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"22014\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,667\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1522472151&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_DSC0381\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-300x222.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381.jpg 900w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-768x569.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-580x430.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-610x452.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-250x185.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0381-540x400.jpg 540w\" width=\"596\" height=\"442\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"596\" data-original-height=\"442\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"_DSC0381\" alt=\"_DSC0381\" style=\"width: 596px; height: 442px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4>As she graduates this weekend, Smith has these three tips for moms, especially single moms, considering going back to or starting school:<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get a good support system.<\/strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" data-attachment-id=\"22013\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/_dsc0417\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D3400&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1522477252&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.002&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_DSC0417\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-22013 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417-580x870.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC0417-267x400.jpg 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to do it all, Smith admits. You can be a successful mom, student and employee; but you\u2019ll need help along the way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can go back to school. But, whether or not you\u2019re going to be successful in school really depends on your support system,\u201d Smith adds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Make friends in class.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At first, Smith says she didn\u2019t bother to get to know the people sitting in the desks next to her. She eventually learned that talking to them, being intentional about getting to know them, was the start of great friendships.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to your professor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After she had Brenleigh, Smith was ashamed to admit she was a single mom to some people. It\u2019s not that she was wanting to hide her daughter away, she says. She was worried about the perceptions her professors, or anyone on campus, would have of her. That she wouldn\u2019t be as good of a student. But she quickly realized that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProfessors want to help,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThey want to help students and they want to help single moms. They want you to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When they know that you have a child, she says, they want you to do well because you\u2019re influencing someone else.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photos contributed by communication senior,\u00a0 Rachel Garcia. <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/mocs.utc.edu\/garciasportfolio\/home?authuser=0\">Visit her portfolio online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Nicole Smith crossed the stage at commencement in May, there was an extra special person cheering her on: her daughter, Brenleigh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":858,"featured_media":22010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,8244,661],"tags":[7223,72907,72908],"class_list":{"0":"post-22006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-college-of-business","8":"category-honors-and-awards","9":"category-students","10":"tag-commencement","11":"tag-nicole-smith","12":"tag-the-momentum-network","13":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-02T20:26:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-06-25T13:55:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/05\/DSC_0194.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"690\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Joyner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Joyner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Joyner\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/804b46429cf67714d0a01a6313abc25d\"},\"headline\":\"Student, mom, graduate: Balancing it all\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-02T20:26:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-06-25T13:55:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":701,\"commentCount\":13,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/mom-student-graduate-balancing-it-all\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/DSC_0194.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"commencement\",\"Nicole Smith\",\"The MOMentum Network\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Gary W. 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